We've done something similar to this, using songs instead of whole albums, but I figure this could work too. Plus, I just tried to listen to "Let Love In" by the Goo Goo Dolls, and I got inspired.

Anyway, my first album for the thread is obviously the Goo Goo Dolls- Let Love In.

I've always stuck up for them, because they've always gotten kind of a shitty reputation based on some bland singles. But aside from that, they were always a really consistant band with some great pop-rock tunes that were a lot more intelligent and interesting than their peers. Until this album. This album is essentially the band becoming everything that they were wrongly pegged as: bland, generic, dull, high school dance type music. Almost all of the intelligence and charm of their older releases is completely gone. Also, the fact that they would re-release a cover song that was already released on another album and single is just lazy.

The production is incredibly overdone on all of the songs but the first 3, 2 of which use the production to their advantage, the other would sound like a generic pop-rock song either way so it doesn't matter about the production. "Feel the Silence" and "Let Love In" are both great songs that use the snappy production to make the good points stronger. The rest of the album, on the other hand, uses the production to gloss over the fact that there's almost no redeeming value in any of the songs on the album. This makes the bad songs worse, because any energy or emotion is completely pushed out by fancy studio work, leaving everything to sound like a big muddled mess.

Finally, more of a personal one, is the lack of songs by Robbie. Only 2 songs on the album were written and sung by him, and it hurts the album. Robbie's songs generally are the ones that keep the band connected to it's roots as an alternative rock band, even when the rest of the album goes off in another direction. Usually his songs are the most energetic and spirited on the album, but here, the production once again strips them of that by making them sound flat and lifeless, which is sad because you can tell that they weren't intended to sound that way at all.

Venom Symbiote

06-08-2007, 11:31 PM

Whatever the first big Top 40 radio Our Lady Peace disc was. Can't remember the name of it. They're an amazing band, but that first "sellout" album was horrid. They've become better again since, though - it's not the mainstream appeal that bothers me, just that the actual songs on that CD were horrid. Their newer radio material is great.

Ninty Man

06-09-2007, 01:06 AM

Van Halen: Women and children first and Van Halen III

The first one is... crappy... but not as bad as Van Halen III... Gary cherone sux all the way

JohnnyNemesis

06-09-2007, 09:38 AM

I'll explain some of these later, but for now I just feel like making a list.

I might make a "albums you like by bands you hate" thread, but I think people are generally too stupid to be objective enough to even admit that they like an album by an artist they don't like. Besides, my list on that one would be pretty short anyway.

nieh

06-09-2007, 09:40 AM

Pearl Jam - No Code

No Code is spotty but there's a handful of really great songs on it. I thought you didn't like Riot Act either? Has that changed?

JohnnyNemesis

06-09-2007, 09:48 AM

Not a huge fan of Riot Act either, except for "Save You". No Code has a handful of decent songs, and most of my list has at least one or two good songs on each...but generally the albums are horrible.

All About Eve

06-09-2007, 10:56 AM

I really don't have anything past "Let Love In".

XYlophonetreeZ

06-09-2007, 12:53 PM

I honestly can't think of many. "Monster" by R.E.M. might be worth mentioning. "Hate" may be too strong a word, but the whole thing is mostly really imitative. They went for a hard-rock sound that didn't suit them at all. My favorite song on the album is also the weirdest- "Tongue." It gets a lot of flack, mainly because Michael sings it in a falsetto, but it makes for a pleasant enough listen. "I Don't Sleep, I Dream," "What's the Frequency, Kenneth," and "Strange Currencies" are alright, but I really never listen to anything besides those four. I tried to give them a chance, but nothing grew on me at all.

Jakebert

06-09-2007, 03:43 PM

I've always been indifferent to Monster. Nothing on it really stand out as really bad, but nothing really stands out as great either.

I'll think of some more later. On the opposite end, the one band I like who've never once let me down ever would have to be The White Stripes.

XYlophonetreeZ

06-10-2007, 08:00 AM

Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains (yeah, I really didn't like their 3rd album)
YESSSSS that album is horrible. I'm not a huge AIC fan for the most part. I think Dirt is simply average. Jar of Flies, however, is one of the most amazing albums ever recorded by anybody, even if it is just an EP.

Aaaand I don't know how I could have forgotten "The Man" by Sponge here. "Unlucky" is a fantastic song but other than that it's all nu-metally crap.

bd007h

06-10-2007, 06:07 PM

Whatever the first big Top 40 radio Our Lady Peace disc was. Can't remember the name of it. They're an amazing band, but that first "sellout" album was horrid. They've become better again since, though - it's not the mainstream appeal that bothers me, just that the actual songs on that CD were horrid. Their newer radio material is great.